Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the "Naruto" series
Chapter Twenty-eight
"Yeah! This is gonna be amazing!" Naruto beamed while he held tightly to the straps of his backpack, his grin almost contagious. "I've got Pervy-sage, and I've got Ribi-chan! What could be better?" The pair behind the young boy exchanged glances, the underlying task of this mission weighing down heavily on their shoulders. Neither one made a peep as Naruto continued to grin up at the blue sky.
"Here we go!"
*One day earlier*
She was spent.
After reporting to Homura and Koharu, Karibi wanted nothing more than to bury herself in her blankets and sleep the stress away. But there was no time. There were still so many questions she had and so many concerns, and there was only one other person who could give her the answers she needed.
Trudging up to her apartment door, the woman let out an exhausted breath. She paused at the two familiar presences inside of her home, plastering a feigned expression of happiness on to her wilted face. With another moment to mentally prep herself, the woman pushed her door open and slipped her sandals off.
"Ribi-chan!" Looking up at her name, said redhead smiled while Naruto rushed up to her, Jiraiya lingering in at the entrance of the foyer. "Guess what!"
"You got an endless supply of Ichiraku?"
"I wish." Naruto frowned momentarily. "No! Ero-sennin is gonna teach me an awesome new jutsu! One even better than Sasuke's Chidori!" The mention of the jutsu made Karibi's heart sink further; it only reminded her of the comatose man. "There's a catch, though." That made the woman blink. She eyed the sanin warily, the skilled shinobi smiling with an expectant glimmer in his eyes.
"What is it?"
"We're gonna go looking for some inspiration for Pervy-sage's new book." Naruto crossed his arms with a pout on his lips. "I don't know who she is or why she's so special, but we're gonna go find her. And while we do that—that's when he's gonna teach me the jutsu!" Karibi's stern gaze went completely ignored as Naruto babbled on, brushing past the sanin and back into the kitchen where he had been eating with his second mentor; he'd always consider Karibi to be his first.
"...Jiraiya, why don't we talk about this outside for a second." The man didn't hesitate, nodding and slipping his sandals on. "We'll be right back, Short-stuff. Don't make a mess!" Naruto let out a sound of acknowledgment, though his guardian frowned to herself; she was sure he'd leave a mess for her to clean up.
"I want to know everything you know. Or else you can kiss having Naruto coming with you goodbye." Karibi glared at Jiraiya, her voice bristly after she shut the door to her home. The sanin sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hands before he turned to face the young woman. His gaze was glued to the setting sun, Karibi waiting for an explanation.
"...For quite some time, I've been trailing Orochimaru and keeping track of his movements. Since his departure from Konoha, it was clear that he planned to return—just as he did." The death of his sensei was still rather fresh in his mind. "It wasn't until a few years of observing Orochimaru that I stumbled across a new organization. It was one he had briefly encountered." Karibi grimaced.
"The Akatsuki?" Jiraiya nodded. "What the hell do they want? Itachi said they were looking for Naruto." The sanin shook his head, turning to look back at Karibi.
"I can't say for sure. All I know is that they're a group of nine shinobi who used to stick closer to cloak and dagger kind of work. But I wanted to get more information and keep a closer eye on them," the older ninja explained solemnly. "Almost every member is listed in the bingo book as S-Ranked ninja."
"...Itachi and Kisame..." Karibi grit her teeth. "I knew I shouldn't have let them get away."
"Taking both of them on alone would have been reckless." Jiraiya's hard gaze reminded Karibi of a time where she used to be scolded for childish actions; it made her feel like she was being reprimanded. "You made the right decision. You've got the kid waiting here for you. The last thing you want to do is give him one more reason to mourn the loss of a loved one." That instantly calmed the redhead down.
"...Now what, then?" Jiraiya let out a huff.
"Now, I plan to keep Naruto close." Karibi's eyes widened, a glimmer of guilt in the older man's eyes making her heart swell. "...I wasn't there before. But I'm here now...I'm going to protect him—train him so that he'll be able to protect himself. You and Kakashi have done well with teaching him and training him thus far. But I want to make sure he's ready for when the world comes for him." The Kyuubi made Naruto a large target.
"I'm going to make sure he can fight and win the battles to come." The kunoichi smiled softly. "That's why I'm planning to take him with me."
"Who are you searching for?" Karibi raised a curious brow.
Jiraiya had been surprised the council had approached him earlier that day in hopes of recruiting him; he knew, as well as they did, he was not fit for being Hokage. However, he knew of someone he had always admired and thought would acclimate to the position well enough; he just had to find her and brush off all of her calloused edges.
"...She was once a teammate of mine." Karibi's amethyst eyes widened from astonishment. "One of the strongest shinobi of the Leaf." The redhead blinked; she had read many stories about this ninja.
"Are you talking about—" Jiraiya's smirk confirmed Karibi's thoughts.
"The Slug Princess, herself." The former teammate of said kunoichi nodded.
"The quicker Naruto and I go, the harder it will be for Itachi to track us. And the quicker we find her, the quicker the Leaf will be able to get back on its feet." Karibi's jaw clenched at the thought.
"...He can go with you." Jiraiya's eyes brightened. "But there's one condition..."
§
He was stuffed. Although there were many people who didn't enjoy eating leftovers, Naruto never minded having Karibi's; her food was always so delectable. As the blond let out a content breath, the sound of the front door opening caught his attention. A brow raised in curiosity as he hopped out of his seat to place his dish in the sink. After some shuffling, the sound of feet pattering against the floor grew louder before Karibi and Jiraiya appeared in the kitchen.
"Are your things packed?" Naruto blinked.
"Ye—Yeah."
"Then you leave first thing tomorrow morning." The 12-year-old grinned impishly.
"Yahoo! This is gonna be amazing!" The genin leapt to his guardian, wrapping his arms around her waist. The woman chuckled, patting his back before she knelt down to meet his gaze straight forward.
"What do you think about me joining?" Naruto's eyes widened.
"Re—Really? You really want to?" Karibi let out a laugh, nodding her head.
"Of course, I do. I have to make sure he's teaching you something worthwhile, don't I?" Jiraiya rolled his eyes but said nothing.
"Ribi-chan! It'd be the best if you came with! This'll be our first time going anywhere together!" He couldn't stop himself from jumping with joy. The redhead merely smiled softly, watching as the young boy threw his fist into the air.
"This is going to be the best mission yet! Believe it!"
*Six Hours Later*
Her pack was strapped to her back as she headed down the empty street. The stars lit the night, the street lamps doing the same. But she moved through the shadows, her steps silent and her breaths quiet.
Karibi had asked that Jiraiya meet her at the gates of the village at dawn. He had agreed, spending the night on the couch while Naruto slept soundly in his bed. The sanin didn't ask where it was the woman was going, but he had a few guesses in his head.
The Uzumaki stopped in front of a familiar apartment complex. She stared for a few seconds before she made her way inside, skipping every other step as she climbed the staircase. Once she reached the desired floor, the woman headed down the hallway. She stopped at the second to last door of the corridor, knocking twice; this was the first time she was using the front door.
"Name."
"Karibi Uzumaki."
"I need proof."
"I'm the one who sealed this very front door." She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Proof." The woman let out an impatient huff through her nostrils before she lifted her thumb to her lips. With a sharp and quick bite, the woman's teeth cut through the skin, a bubble of blood appearing at the tip of her finger. She mumbled curses to herself, using her blood to paint the symbol of her people on the door; it shined and then faded.
Immediately, the lock to the door clicked open.
"Forgive me." An Anbu stood in the doorway. "I had to be sure."
"I appreciate the thoroughness." Karibi stepped through the threshold of the home before she shut the door. Her steps echoed through the night as she ventured further into Kakashi's home, her heart heavy with grief. By the time she reached the man's bedroom door, the woman realized Guy had been able to station four Anbu in his home; she was ever so grateful.
"Kari-chan." Said woman smiled at Kakashi's best friend, the man in green seated at the bedside; Kakashi laid silently under his blanket. "What are you doing here so early?" The kunoichi smiled, striding towards the other side of the bed. She stared down at her friend, his mask still up but his hitae-ai now resting on his desk.
"...Some things have come up. The council has already been informed, but I'll be gone for a while." Karibi's eyes remained drawn to Kakashi's relaxed face, Guy watching her with puzzled eyes.
"Where—"
"I can't really say much. But for Naruto's sake—and everyone else's for that matter, we'll be back when the commotion settles and we finish our upcoming mission." The green-suited jonin slowly nodded, the tension easing out of his stare while he watched Karibi take a seat on the edge of the bed. His gaze averted to the floor as the woman began to brush hair out from Kakashi's eyes; he would let the two have a moment.
"If you don't mind, I think I'll take advantage of the extra body and use the bathroom!" Karibi nodded, though her attention remained on Kakashi.
Even as the door softly shut behind Guy, the woman's focus was on the unconscious man.
"...You knew this was going to eventually happen." Karibi shook her head, worry etched on to her features. "Yet you refused to tell me." He had been trying to shield her from the oncoming storm.
"...Foolish Scarecrow." Shaking her head, the redhead leaned forward, placing a delicate kiss to the man's forehead. Her lips lingered on his smooth skin, a slight fever warming her lips.
"...I'll be back soon," the kunoichi promised gently, her words going unheard by the man. "...Just hang in there for me until I get back."
*Two days later*
"Come on! We've been walking for forever! Can't you at least give me a hint on what you're gonna teach me, Ero-sennin?" Karibi smirked before she eyed Jiraiya, the older ninja's patience wearing ever so thin with the blond.
"Will you quit it with the pervy stuff?" The man stopped at the beginning of a bridge, narrowing his eyes at the genin. "You have no idea how great of a man I am, do you?" He partially blamed Karibi for this.
Naruto shrugged with a careless ease. "You mean how great of a pervert you can be?" That made Jiraiya growl.
Rushing towards the peak of the bridge, Jiraiya held his arms out, rambling on about his greatness. All the while, Karibi yawned and Naruto watched with an unimpressed expression on his face; the two Uzumaki's were much more alike than anyone else realized.
"I am the great Jiraiya-sama!" Said master was utterly disappointed when Karibi and Naruto continued over the bridge, brushing past him as if he didn't exist.
"What about you, Ribi-chan?"
"Once we stop somewhere to rest up and eat, maybe we can figure out what you want to learn next, Short-stuff."
"Alright!" Jiraiya held back his tears.
§
The walking had been the dreariest part of the journey. It had been hours. And for the most part, it was Karibi and Jiraiya taking turns dealing with Naruto's hyperactivity; he was raring to get down to the knitty-gritty. Still, the redhead found herself fond of the way the blond burst with energy. With everyone going on as of late, to see his chipper attitude made her day a bit more pleasant to deal with.
Lingering a few steps behind Jiraiya and several steps behind Naruto, Karibi sighed. Her smile was subtle and aimed at the blond, but the peaceful moment was broken as a breeze brushed past her; with it came a familiar and unsettling power. The kunoichi came to an abrupt halt, her eyes wide and her heartbeat stalling. A sense of dread washed over the kunoichi as she slowly looked over her shoulder, the wind sweeping through her locks of short hair.
"Oi, Ribi-chan!" Snapping her head towards Naruto, said jonin blinked. The young boy eyed her suspiciously before he quickly ran back up to her side, trying to follow the direction of her gaze; he couldn't seem to figure out what she was looking at. "What's going on?" Karibi forced a smile across her lips and then waved off the genin's concern.
"Nothing." She looked back over her shoulder one last time with a narrow-eyed gaze, ushering Naruto back down the path—where Jiraiya waited. "It's nothing at all."
§
"I'll give the bitch this, she's stronger than I gave her credit for."
"It would be wise to keep yourself from underestimating your enemies. Especially someone like Uzumaki-san." Itachi and Kisame observed from a relatively safe distance, the three figures moving down the path. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes, watching as the woman glanced back towards them one last time; yes, underestimating Karibi Uzumaki would be detrimental to their mission.
"I'm almost sure you could go toe-to-toe with him. I'm not so sure about myself...he's on a completely different level," the rogue Mist shinobi claimed quietly, his gaze lingering on the woman of the Leaf. "And even then, we have her to deal with, as well. Her alone was a hassle enough."
"You're right. If we tried to fight them directly, we would all end up dying." Itachi eyed both the older shinobi accompanying the jinchuriki, and he tried not to frown. "Even if there were more of us, the result would be the same." Kisame nodded, letting out a sigh of exasperation.
"Never thought we'd be here, possibly facing a legendary sanin." The Mist ninja shook his head. "We fight them? And both our names will be dragged through the mud."
"You may be right." Itachi stood from his crouched position on the crag, a light breeze whispering past him. "But even the strongest ninjas have their weaknesses." And there were no doubts about that in the Uchiha's mind.
§
A break had been called for, the three Leaf ninja stopping at a near-by temple for a breather. Karibi could tell by the clumsy way Naruto marched along the route that he was either hungry or tired. And so, she requested a moment to rest; she soon figured out the boy was merely hungry.
As she sat with Naruto, handing him a protein bar from her pack, Jiraiya studied the pair quietly. His eyes examined closely while Karibi rolled her eyes at the way Naruto quickly reached for the bar, giving her a brief thanks before he tore into the snack. He felt a warmth spread through his chest when the woman smiled with a gentleness at the blond before she began to eat her own bar peacefully. It was intriguing to see the two Uzumaki's in action and together. After all, Jiraiya had been given a brief synopsis of what their relationship had been like from the Copy Nin; the sanin had been nearly lectured by the jonin about his absence and how it had affected the two. But as he watched the pair now, it seemed everything had turned out relatively fine.
He was glad to see they were close.
The genin had finished eating with record speed; Jiraiya and Karibi took their time. The redhead laid down on the grassy hill while the older man sat beside her. He munched without a sound, Naruto entertaining himself with the bells that were hung up at the small temple. His gentle tugs on the ribbon caused the bells to ring out in the silence, his voice imitating the melody. Karibi glanced over her shoulder at the boy before Jiraiya did the same, shaking his head.
"Better be careful. Spirits might curse you," the man teased, the 22-year-old beside him smirking before she finished up her protein bar.
"How much further are we from the next town?"
"I'd say about another hour or so," Jiraiya estimated, the redhead nodding before she looked back to Naruto. The blond merely grinned up at the bells, shadow clones now assisting him with his playing.
"Oi, Ero-sennin?" Said shinobi paused, looking over at the playful 12-year-old with a raised brow. The genin had a curious glimmer in his eyes as his Shadow Clones tugged harder on the bell. "What was Yondaime like?" Karibi tried not to tense at the title, though Jiraiya's observant eyes took notice of her discomfort with ease.
"He was powerful—thanks to yours truly. You're lucky to have me as a sensei, kid." Karibi tried not to roll her eyes.
"I think there might have been other factors that came into Minato-san's greatness." That made Naruto blink.
"You knew the Fourth Hokage, Ribi-chan?" Immediately, the woman realized her blunder.
"Well...yeah, I did, Short-stuff." Jiraiya remained silent through the exchange, Karibi's amethyst eyes examining her empty wrapper intently while Naruto's Shadow Clones disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Oh! Was he your sensei when you were younger?" Karibi tried to find the right way to answer Naruto's question; he was more than just a sensei to the woman.
"...Not my sensei. But he was like a mentor to me." It didn't do Minato justice; he was far more than that. "No. My sensei was Riku-sensei. And she was incredible. If you wanted to know real greatness, you studied under her," Karibi stated, her words lighter and her tone sprightly.
She was grateful that the subject had changed so smoothly.
"And what about you, Pervy-sage? Who was your sensei?" A wistful glimmer suddenly shined in the sanin's eyes as he recalled his youth and the days of his own mischief. He remembered the long days and restless nights of training and missions; he remembered being happiest with his team.
"I studied under the great Sandaime, himself!" he answered enthusiastically. "This was when the Third was still a young, spring chicken." That saying flew over Naruto's head.
"Spring chicken?"
"That's right. And I was a young buck, myself, back then." The devious gleam in his eyes made Naruto groan in disgust; Karibi shook her head with a deadpanned stare.
Startled by his sensei's crude statement, the young genin found himself tumbling down the steps, the bells he had previously been playing with falling from their perch on the temple and tangling within his limbs. A grunt erupted from the genin as he hit the ground and rolled to the path. And all the while, Karibi sighed while Jiraiya grinned; he felt a bit of justice watching the child tangle himself up.
"Wait, if Kakashi was your sensei, that means you've gone through the bell training, correct?" Kakashi was infamous for failing everyone—everyone except Team 7.
Tiring memories of that first day of training flashed before Naruto's eyes, and then he chuckled weakly and nodded his head. "Yeah. I did. Seems like a long time ago now. Almost forgot all about that." He grimaced to himself. "I forgot how bad that sucked—being tied to that post." That caught Jiraiya's attention.
"You too, then?" Karibi and Naruto blinked.
"What do you mean, 'you too'?" the blond questioned, his guardian gawking before a teasing grin began to stretch across her lips.
"Don't tell me you were just as reckless and stupid as short-stuff?" A light blush appeared on Jiraiya's cheeks before he waved her assumption off.
"Alright, alright. Story time is over!" Standing to his feet, the sanin dusted himself off before Karibi began to laugh, Naruto joining her; she was quick to deflate his pride.
"Naruto, I don't know why you're laughing. You were tied to the post just like him." Said genin paused and then grumbled to himself, the lone woman smirking wide. "Ok, I'm done teasing, I swear." Hopping down to the boy, his guardian chuckled to herself, assisting him as he tried to free himself from the bells.
"I bet if you had gone through the bell test, you would've failed just like us!" The redhead laughed heartily.
"Guess we'll never know, now will we?" With a wink, she untied Naruto, the blond giggling at her before he carried the heavy bells to the shrine.
"Now make sure to put those back exactly as they were. Not like the half-assed cleaning you do back home." Naruto narrowed his eyes at his guardian before he scoffed.
"You know, for someone who's constantly lecturing me about swearing, you do it a lot." Karibi shrugged.
"When you get to be my age, I'll let you say whatever you want."
"You're not even that old!"
Jiraiya continued to watch the two from the bottom of the stone steps leading to the shrine. His gaze was filled with a misty joy, the Uzumaki's banter making his heart flutter for just a moment. He let out a content breath before he turned his head in the direction they had come from.
He wondered if Minato and Kushina were smiling from above.
"Alright! Ready!" Karibi was at the sanin's side, Naruto rushing towards them and down the path. He led the way for the older shinobi, the pair following closely behind him.
"...Maybe this will work out." Jiraiya blinked, looking over at Karibi as she smiled after the jinchuriki. "Maybe, just this once, things will be fine." And all the old man could do was smile.
But neither of them had any clue what was coming.
Hi everyone!
Another update! Not as quick as I had hoped for, but it's here, and I'm proud of that :) We are now getting further into this new arc of the series, and it's going to be interesting to see how things will unfold with the next encounter Itachi and Kisame have with Naruto and company. There is going to be a bit of a lapse with Kakashi and Karibi, but things will all eventually fall into place as they should! I'm getting excited just thinking about how things will be once the big events happen and just what it will be like to put Karibi into the mix! There is going to be a lot that eventually unravels starting from here...so whoever is reading, I hope you're ready and looking forward to the ride!
It gets a little crazy this time of year, but I'm hoping that I can keep updating a bit more frequently. As of right now, this specific story is my focus, so I'm taking that and running with that. Hopefully, I will be able to stay on course with this! But as some of you may already know, I do disappear a bit. So, I have high hopes, but I also ask for everyone's patience and understanding!
Thank you to whoever is reading and sticking around for this! I'm working hard on this, and I hope it show!
Reviews:
bored411: From here on out, things are going to get crazier! I'm looking forward to Karibi and Tsunade too! It's all going to sort of unravel and things are going to get messy...but then we'll see what happens after all the chaos! I hope that you'll enjoy what's to come for Karibi and for Naruto and everyone else! And I appreciate that fact that you are reading and taking the time to leave a review :) I hope that you will continue to enjoy what is posted!
WindyCitySlayer1: Thank you so much for leaving a review! And it's always such a relief to know that people are enjoying this story, so I'm genuinely happy to hear that you are liking that chapters that I've posted so far. Hopefully as more and more things begin to happen in the series/this story, you will continue to enjoy the chapters and just what happens with Karibi involved! I appreciate you taking the time to leave your thoughts! Thank you :)
Guest: Thanks so much for reading! And thank you so much for reviewing! I'm so happy to hear you feel like Karibi fits in with the "Naruto" world. I think writing this story, that is always one of my main concerns and focuses. So to know that you feel like she does fit in makes me feel very relieved LOL I will continue to work hard on this project, and hopefully if you continue reading, you will see that!
Fan: Hi! No, I have not abandoned this, though as I've said before, I do tend to disappear and take unexpected hiatuses. But I am hoping that I can keep up posts a bit more consistently. However, I do not promise that I will. The only promise that I can make is that I will continue to work hard on this story and that I will not totally drop this project! I appreciate you leaving this review, and I also appreciate the fact that you're reading this in the first place! Thank you very much!